The man suspected of the brutal murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has made his initial court appearance, following his charge with murder.
Tyler Robinson, aged 22, attended a virtual court hearing on Tuesday, mere hours after he was officially charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and obstructing justice.
During the hearing, Robinson remained silent, donned in what seemed to be a suicide prevention vest, as the judge listed the charges against him. He is currently being held without bail. The news comes as Piers Morgan show descends into screaming match over Charlie Kirk death.
Robinson did not have a lawyer present during the hearing. However, the judge assured that he would be provided with a court-appointed attorney as he was “indigent.”
Prosecutors have filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Robinson, reports the Express US.
Kirk, who was only 31 years old, was tragically shot dead on September 10 during an event at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors claim that Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a rifle from the roof of a nearby campus building while the conservative activist was addressing students.
Kirk was the founder of the political organisation Turning Point USA, aimed at encouraging more young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics. He was also a close associate of President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors revealed that Robinson turned himself in at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office last week, accompanied by his parents, after his mother identified him from a surveillance photo released by authorities.
Jeff Gray, the Utah County attorney, discussed a series of messages between Robinson and his roommate, with whom he was romantically involved, on Tuesday.
Gray revealed that Robinson had sent a text confession to his partner, stating he committed the shooting because he “had enough” of Kirk’s “hatred.”
Robinson left a note for his partner that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” Gray reported.
“When asked why he did it, Robinson explained there is too much evil in the guy, referring to Charlie Kirk,” Gray disclosed.
“I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson stated, as per Gray. “If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence.”
According to Gray, family and friends of Robinson informed investigators that he had grown increasingly worried about gay and transgender rights.
The ammunition used to kill Kirk bore taunting messages engraved on them, which included anti-fascist language. As per text messages unveiled in newly released charging documents, these references might have been a form of trolling.
“Remember how I was engraving bullets?” Robinson allegedly wrote to his partner, as per the documents. “The f—-in messages are mostly a big meme, if I see ‘notices bulge uwu’ on fox new I might have a stroke.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox suggested on Monday that Robinson held a grudge against Kirk and hinted that he may have been “radicalised” online.
“Friends have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture, and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep,” Cox told NBC.
The subsequent court hearing is scheduled for 29 September.